PUAFER005 vs PUAFER006: Which Program Do You Required?
If you manage a center or you have ever before put on a fire warden hat throughout an emptying drill, you currently know that great intentions do stagnate individuals safe. Tranquil framework does. In Australia, that structure originates from an Emergency Control Organisation, set out under AS 3745, and both across the country recognized devices that bring it to life are PUAFER005 and PUAFER006. The very first prepares wardens to run as part of an emergency control organisation. The 2nd prepares leaders to lead that organisation as chief warden or deputy. The training course codes appearance comparable, but the assumptions, obligations, and training results are not the same.
I have sat in way too many post-incident debriefs where confusion concerning functions cost minutes. Those mins really felt long. Picking the ideal training reduces them.
The two systems at a glancePUAFER005 Run as component of an emergency control organisation is the standard fire warden course for a lot of workplaces. It concentrates on what to do when the alarm system goes, exactly how to sweep and clear areas, how to interact with the chief warden, and exactly how to relocate individuals to a setting up area. It develops muscular tissue memory for wardens and flooring wardens.
PUAFER006 Lead an emergency situation control organisation is the chief warden course. It prepares you to take charge when things are untidy, coordinate wardens, communicate with emergency services, make evacuation choices, and take care of the incident log and post-incident actions. If you wear the white headgear, or you may be handed that duty, you require PUAFER006.
The simplest way to consider the difference is this: PUAFER005 is about executing a plan, PUAFER006 has to do with routing the strategy and adapting it under pressure.
Where these programs suit the Australian frameworkAS 3745, the vital criterion for preparing for emergencies in centers, develops the Emergency situation Planning Committee and the Emergency Situation Control Organisation. The EPC creates and maintains the emergency situation plan. The ECO, led by the chief warden, turns on that plan throughout an occurrence. The majority of centers assign a chief emergency warden, deputies, and area or floor wardens. That pecking order has practical significance when an actual occasion unravels, whether it is a smoke alarm, a chemical spill, a clinical emergency situation, or a bomb threat.
PUAFER005 maps to the warden duties. It emphasises sensible emptying jobs, communication procedures, and safety checks. PUAFER006 maps to the chief warden and deputy roles. It emphasises management, choice production, and control, including when the plan is imperfect or the situation changes mid-evacuation.
Not every office will run an evacuation monthly, yet every workplace that brings the general public or groups into a structure has duties under WHS regulations to take care of emergency situation dangers. Component of those obligations is guaranteeing your wardens and primary wardens receive suitable training. Many insurers anticipate it. Major sites audit it.
Who needs PUAFER005 Run as component of an ECOIf you are selected as a fire warden, floor warden, location warden, or you routinely aid with evacuation drills, PUAFER005 is the appropriate beginning point. The system covers the nuts and screws of warden training, not simply fire warden training. Reasonably, most events are not fires, so the course covers a broader collection of circumstances: alarm systems and system mistakes, clinical events, power interruptions, minor spills, and security hazards together with fire response.
In a normal PUAFER005 course you can expect to practice:
Recognising alarms and emergency situation caution systems, making use of inner phones, radios, and warden intercom factors, and communicating clear messages to the chief warden.
Performing an area sweep, including checking spaces, closing doors, taking care of mobility-impaired residents, utilizing search markers, and reporting an all-clear.
Operating as a team, staying within the pecking order, and complying with the emergency strategy while making use of situational judgment when the strategy does not fit the moment.
You will not be asked to play hero. PUAFER005 does not educate you to eliminate fires beyond the fundamental use a mobile extinguisher when secure to do so, and several carriers treat extinguisher use as a different, add-on component. The program focuses on risk-free, orderly evacuation and accountability for individuals. That is the essence of a fire warden course.
A quick note on practicalities. Fire warden training requirements differ by building threat profile, yet a common tempo is to revitalize PUAFER005 every two years, with much shorter internal refresher courses in between. If you have high turnover or you run public events, annual refreshers are smarter.
Who requires PUAFER006 Lead an ECOIf the title on your door reads facilities supervisor, structure supervisor, site supervisor, health and wellness supervisor, or you are the person everyone anticipates to take fee throughout an evacuation, your program is PUAFER006 Lead an emergency control organisation. The distinction appears the first time the alarm system panel presents 2 competing areas or smoke in the packing dock activates a 2nd emptying mid-event.
PUAFER006 establishes expertise in:
Leading an ECO under realistic time stress, including assigning wardens, setting concerns, and switching techniques when new information arrives.
Making emptying decisions. Full evacuations are not constantly the front runner. Partial evacuations or defend-in-place strategies can be more secure in some facilities. PUAFER006 teaches when and just how to use them.

Liaising with emergency solutions, supplying succinct situational updates, handing over the case log, and following their directions without losing control of your website responsibilities.
Managing post-incident actions: debriefing the group, tape-recording lessons found out, updating the emergency strategy and diagrams, and advising modifications to the EPC.
Chief warden obligations prolong past the day of the case. A great chief fire warden shapes drills so the team finds out instead of simply ticks a box. That includes intending a situation that actually examines the stairwell traffic jam you found last time.
In several work environments, the chief warden requirements include holding PUAFER006 plus prior or concurrent conclusion of PUAFER005. Some training providers pack both so you can tip up or down as needed.
What each training course gets out of youPUAFER005 thinks you can follow instructions, connect clearly, and move securely around your location. It suits team across all departments. If you work part time, it still makes sense since emergencies do not keep office hours.
PUAFER006 presumes you can keep a trendy head while 3 conversations happen at once. You will certainly manage radio traffic, alarm system panel codes, warden reports, and owner behavior. Educating circumstances usually simulate synchronised concerns: an obstructed leave, a person that rejects to leave, a lift that stops in between floorings, a service provider unaccounted for. If the weight of that sounds familiar from your day work, this training course fits you.
Both training courses are country wide recognized and provided by registered training organisations. Evaluation generally includes written concerns and functional situations. Instructors worth their fee will adapt those circumstances to your site design and threats instead of run common drills.
Fire warden requirements in the workplaceEvery work environment should have a documented emergency situation plan, evacuation representations, and an ECO sized to the building. For a multi-storey workplace, a useful policy is one warden per occupancy floor, with deputies to cover leave and change adjustments. For a warehouse, you might require wardens for each zone plus someone at the front gateway coordinating truck activities during a discharge. Retail and medical care websites commonly need even more coverage because public movement is harder to control.
Fire warden requirements do not quit at visit. Wardens require radio accessibility and to understand where emergency situation equipment rests. They ought to know evacuation courses and the alternative path if a stairwell is obstructed. They need to recognize that the mobility-impaired owners are, and the procedure for handling them safely.
Your emergency warden training ought to line up with the certain structure attributes. If your site has a Vesda system, a gas suppression system in the web server area, or complex gain access to control, your warden course need to cover what takes place when those systems turn on. A basic summary is not enough.
Colours, hats, and why they still matterPeople sometimes laugh about warden and chief chief warden competency requirements warden hat colours up until the power cuts and the lights go down to emergency situation mode. Exposure issues when individuals fear. A lot of Australian workplaces follow this straightforward colour code:
Chief warden hat or headgear: white, usually with the title printed front and back.Ordinary wardens wear red. Communications officers often wear yellow. Various other neighborhood variants exist, yet white for the chief warden and red for wardens is common sufficient that both personnel and attending firemans will certainly acknowledge it. If your team makes use of vests instead of safety helmets, stick to the same colour reasoning. When someone asks what colour helmet does a chief warden wear, one of the most helpful answer is white, and maintain it consistent in your site kit.
What you actually do on the dayThe gap between training and practice appears when the alarm seems throughout a customer discussion or midway with a shift modification. A short image from a circulation centre demonstrates how the units split in genuine life.
At 10:43 a.m. a smoke alarm causes in the battery charging space. The local floor warden hears the sharp on the radio, grabs the red warden hat, and relocates to the zone with an additional warden to execute a quick sweep. They guide team to the nearby leave, overview a forklift chauffeur to park and eliminate the key, and shut the charging area door without getting chief warden skills development course in. They report to the chief warden that the area is leaving and that one professional is unaccounted for.
The chief warden, wearing the white headgear, checks the panel, verifies the zone, and asks the communications policeman to call 000 and await instructions. They send a replacement to the service provider sign-in indicate determine that is missing out on and what profession they are. They decide to leave the adjacent area as a safety measure and advise the front gateway to hold deliveries off-site. When firemans get here, the chief warden briefs them: source area, door condition, emptying progression, and the missing contractor information. They turn over the occurrence log and follow the firemans' instructions while keeping oversight of the assembly location headcount.
Everything the wardens did matched PUAFER005 training. Every little thing the principal did matched PUAFER006. The difference is not comfort with radios or doors. It is the choice making at each fork, and the communication in between roles.

The overlap is purposeful. Both include a refresher course on dangers, alarm system types, and the emergency situation strategy. Both include communication procedures, because usual language lowers confusion. Both consist of the values of safety and security: do not place on your own in jeopardy to deal with a trouble that comes from professionals. Both also stress record keeping, though in PUAFER005 it is limited to straightforward reports and handing details to the chief warden, while in PUAFER006 it reaches complete incident paperwork and debriefs.

Some service providers package PUAFER005 and PUAFER006 with each other for groups. It is not uncommon for a tiny site to train 5 or 6 individuals in PUAFER005, and 2 in PUAFER006, creating coverage across changes. In a large district, safety and security team might all hold PUAFER006 because they lead out-of-hours cases, with occupant wardens holding PUAFER005.
Choosing the ideal training course for your role and siteMistakes generally run in one of two instructions. Firms choose a favored employee as chief warden without giving them PUAFER006, which leaves them feeling underprepared the very first time they encounter a panel mistake that becomes a genuine fire. Or business send out everyone to PUAFER006 believing a lot more senior-sounding training is better. That wastes cash and produces noise, because not everyone needs to practice leading. Most people need to practice executing.
Start with the plan. Map your ECO against your operating hours. Identify that will certainly get on site when specialists work after hours, and that lugs authority on weekend breaks. Align training to that truth. If the site manager is on leave, that holds the white hat? If your retail centre runs pop-up events, who leads if a performer sets off a smoke equipment under a beam of light detector? If your workplace is crossbreed, who is regularly present to move each flooring? Work in reverse from those questions.
If you are a solitary location with a secure group, splitting your group right into wardens on PUAFER005 and a smaller sized core on PUAFER006 generally covers it. If you take care of numerous sites or high-risk areas, invest much deeper: chief fire warden training for duty managers and security supervisors, and a wider base of emergency warden training for frontline staff.
Training shipment, evaluation, and realistic practiceA well-run PUAFER005 course utilizes your real emptying diagrams and mimics your building's noisiest reality. If your stairwell tightens at level 3, the situation should make wardens problem-solve that canal. If you have multilingual personnel, technique radio phrases that are clear and straightforward. Great instructors do not just instruct doctrine. They practice the precise rubbing factors you will face.
A solid PUAFER006 course sets up competing priorities and incomplete details. It ought to consist of a radio technique exercise where the chief warden needs to puncture chatter and appoint channels. It should include a decision factor where protecting in position is much safer than evacuating, such as a smoke event on a hot day when leaving to a parking lot creates a warmth stress and anxiety risk. It ought to include a handover to emergency situation services within 2 minutes, since time vanishes when alarm systems are sounding.
Assessment is sensible for both training courses. Anticipate scenario-based tasks, short expertise checks, and an analysis of your interaction. The best worth originates from a debrief that surface areas what went well and what requires job. If your group entrusts a to-do list, like upgrading the service provider sign-in process or relocating a warden kit, you got your money's worth.
Fire warden training needs and freshen cyclesStandards and WHS legislation do not suggest a solitary nationwide refresh period, however usual technique is to refresh PUAFER005 every two years and PUAFER006 every 2 to 3 years, with a minimum of one discharge drill each year for each building or occupancy. Risky websites might pierce quarterly. If your workforce turns over rapidly, roll new starters right into a warden course within their initial couple of months.
Record your drills, consisting of times to evacuate and head count settlement. If your emptying time slides from 6 minutes to 9 over a year, examine. Perhaps a door better is sticking, or a new design developed a blind corner. Your chief warden responsibilities include identifying these patterns and bringing them to the Emergency Situation Preparation Board with propositions to deal with them.
Gear, radios, and basic upgrades that pay offTraining prepares people, however little equipment selections lower rubbing. Radios that in fact work in stairwells are worth the budget plan. Tag your networks clearly. Keep warden vests or hats with radios in plainly authorized cupboards on each floor. Put a laminated quick-reference card inside each kit with easy triggers: panel location, emergency situation numbers, setting up areas, and the radio call indicators for chief, communications, and wardens. The very best chief warden hat colour or layout not does anything if the hat beings in a secured cabinet nobody can access after hours.
If you run a school or large center, take into consideration a specialized warden network separate from basic procedures. Throughout one drill at a medical facility, a kitchen area delivery telephone call overloaded the radio while the chief fire warden attempted to confirm an all-clear. That is not the cooking area's fault, it is a network plan issue.
Common concerns answered plainlyWhat colour helmet does a chief warden put on? White. Keep it constant and visible, whether you utilize a headgear or a vest.
Do I require PUAFER006 to be a deputy chief warden? Yes. Deputies might lead any time. If you are a replacement theoretically only, that space will appear when the chief is off-site.
Can a small office get by with just PUAFER005? Perhaps, if your structure administration supplies a chief warden for the entire center. Lots of multi-tenant buildings operate this way. Because situation, your occupancy appoints wardens and a planner that communicates with the building's chief warden. Ask structure management about their expectations.
Does a chief fire warden course cover bomb hazards and security occurrences? Proficient PUAFER006 training addresses a range of emergency situations beyond fires, including bomb risks, dubious packages, and personal dangers. It will certainly not turn you right into security, but it will give you a framework to lead securely till experts take over.
Are there medical prerequisites? Both systems need you to move safely and communicate. If you have wheelchair limitations, review your role with your EPC. Lots of sites utilize buddy systems and assign duties that fit various capabilities.
Pitfalls that training can fixI have seen wardens search alone due to the fact that they assumed it was efficient. It is not. Pair up, sweep systematically, and mark cleared areas. I have actually seen principals wait for certainty from the panel while smoke thickened in a cellar. Early, conventional decisions save time. I have seen wardens suggest with an employee that did not wish to leave throughout a drill. The better approach: recognize, do not intensify, and rise to the chief for a calculated response. Training provides you scripts and practices that keep things moving.
Another usual issue is missing service providers. Your fire warden requirements in the workplace need to consist of a professional management procedure that connects into evacuation headcounts. If you rely on the memory of a website supervisor, you will lose minutes. A basic sign-in connected to a warden's clipboard conserves them.
How to extent your following training sessionBefore booking a PUAFER005 course or a PUAFER006 course, walk your site with the trainer or share exact representations. Point out understood headaches like locked inter-tenancy doors, locations under refurbishment, and one of the most typical after-hours tasks. If your team has actually had near misses out on, share them. Ask the trainer to tailor scenarios. Off-the-shelf web content is a starting factor, not an endpoint.
For blended groups throughout numerous buildings, think about a split day: early morning PUAFER005 for wardens, mid-day PUAFER006 for leaders, with a mixed drill at the end to bring the pieces together. The drill will expose radio rules concerns and handover gaps quicker than any type of class slide.
Bottom line: match the program to the responsibilityIf your task is to move individuals, check spaces, and report up, enrol in PUAFER005 Operate as part of an emergency control organisation. If your task is to make the phone call, coordinate, and possess the result, enrol in PUAFER006 Lead an emergency control organisation. Lots of specialists hold both, because occupations advance and lineups modification. The chief warden requirements are heavier, however the fulfillment of a clean, calm evacuation is actual. When the fire warden course repays, you will feel it in the silent self-confidence of a team that knows the plan and counts on the person in the white hat.
Take your leadership in workplace safety to the next level with the nationally recognised PUAFER006 Chief Warden Training. Designed for Chief and Deputy Fire Wardens, this face-to-face 3-hour course teaches critical skills: coordinating evacuations, leading a warden team, making decisions under pressure, and liaising with emergency services.
Course cost is generally AUD $130 per person for public sessions.
Held in multiple locations including Brisbane CBD (Queen Street), North Hobart, Adelaide, and more across Queensland such as Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Cairns, Ipswich, Logan, Chermside, etc.
If you’ve been appointed as a Chief or Deputy Fire Warden at your workplace, the PUAFER006 – Chief Warden Training is designed to give you the confidence and skills to take charge when it matters most. This nationally accredited course goes beyond the basics of emergency response, teaching you how to coordinate evacuations, lead and direct your warden team, make quick decisions under pressure, and effectively communicate with emergency services.
Delivered face-to-face in just 3 hours, the training is practical, engaging, and focused on real-world workplace scenarios. You’ll walk away knowing exactly what to do when an emergency unfolds—and you’ll receive your certificate the same day you complete the course.
With training available across Australia—including Brisbane CBD (Queen Street), North Hobart, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Cairns, Ipswich, Logan, Chermside and more—it’s easy to find a location near you. At just $130 per person, this course is an affordable way to make sure your workplace is compliant with safety requirements while also giving you peace of mind that you can step up and lead when it counts.